January 30, 1913. 



The Rorists' Review 



25 



A Novelty That Sold Well Last St. Valentine's Day, Contaimo£ Corsage Bouquet or Loose Flowers. 



STOCKS FOE MEMORIAL DAY. 



Please give me the names of some 

 good dwarf double stocks in pink, white 

 and lavefider. I want these in flower 

 for May 30, 1913. When is the time 

 to sow the seed? J. G. 



There is nothing better than a good 

 selection of giant ten weeks' stocks for 

 Memorial day work. Sow the seed from 

 the middle to the end of February, 

 starting it in shallow flats of light soil. 

 Cover the seed with fine sand and it 

 will germinate better and be less liable 

 to damping off than when covered with 

 soil. C. W. 



STOCKS FOB OUTDOORS. 



Would you kindly tell me the date 

 when to sow stocks for outdoor cul- 

 ture? What varieties would you ad- 

 vise? How far should they be planted 

 apart in the field? H. B. 



Make a first sowing in flats in a 

 greenhouse late in February. Plant 

 these out in May, when the weather 

 has become settled. Make additional 

 sowings until June 1. The later batches 

 can be started advantageously in cold- 

 frames. Plant in rows thirty inches 

 apart, allowing twelve to fifteen inches 

 between the plants, cultivating freely 

 right through the growing season. 

 Early varieties are Beauty of Nice, 

 Crimson Column, White Column and 

 Queen Alexandra. Good main crop 

 sorts are Giant Ten Weeks and Cut and 

 Come Again, also called Perpetual Per- 

 fection. C. W. 



GERANIUMS ROTTING. 



Is there any way to treat geraniums 

 so they will not rot? We do not have 

 good luck with such varieties as Jean 

 Viaud, Dryden and others. They are 

 handled exactly the same as S. A. Nutt. 



E. S. 



You do not state whether you have 

 trouble with cuttings rotting, or estab- 

 lished plants in pots. Most probably 



you are overwatering them. When you 

 put in cuttings, use a 2 14 -inch pot for 

 each, using sandy loam. Place on a 

 bench in full sun and where they can 

 get some bottom heat. The temperature 

 of the house need not be over 48 to 50 

 degrees at night; they will damp off 

 more in a warmer house. Water spar- 

 ingly after the first thorough soaking, 

 until the cuttings are rooted, then more 

 freely. It is a good plan to run bedding 

 geraniums a little on the dry side at 

 all stages of their growth and not to 

 spray them overhead at all. C. W. 



GOLDEN SPURS NOT FLOWERING. 



What is the cause of Golden Spur 

 narcissi not blooming? I boxed 1,500 

 about October 20 and covered them 

 with five inches of ashes. One box not 

 being full, I put in some double Von 

 Sions. The Von Sions are blooming, 

 but though the Golden Spurs formed 

 buds, the buds stayed down well into 

 the bulb and rotted. C. H. C. 



Your experience is a common one. 

 Golden Spurs and other trumpet nar- 

 cissi often fail to bloom if forced early. 

 They will not stand as hard forcing as 

 tulips and should not be subjected to a 

 higher night temperature than 55 de- 

 grees. Narcissi placed in the soil Octo- 

 ber 20 should not be placed in heat 

 earlier than January 5 to 15. C. W. 



GIGANTEUMS FOR EASTER. 



I have some giganteums from four to 

 six inches high, growing in a night tem- 

 perature of 40 to 45 degrees and a day 

 temperature of 55 degrees. This is all 

 I can do with my present heating capac- 

 ity, except on sunny days or in mild 

 weather. I am watering with water as 

 warm as I dare to use. Can I make it 

 for Easter? C. P. N. 



You lack suflBcient heat to get your 

 lilies in bloom for Easter. Giganteums, 

 even if given 70 degrees at night, would 

 hardly be on time. This lily needs a 

 brisk heat from start to finish. I find 



an average night temperature of 65 

 degrees suits it best, with 5 degrees 

 additional if the plants are at all late. 

 Easter comes unusually early this year 

 and your lilies should show their buds 

 plainly when Lent comes in, February 

 5, in (frder to be on time. Under the 

 circumstances it would be a waste of 

 energy to attempt to have your plants 

 in flower with so low a temperature to 

 grow them in. C. W. 



DRAC^NAS FROM MIXED SEED. 



I should like to ask you about my 

 Dracaena indivisa. I bought seed and I 

 have some nice dracajnas, but some have 

 a white vein in the center of the leaf 

 and the leaf is narrow, while others 

 have a red vein in the leaf and are 

 wide. Are they a mixed lot or not? I 

 like the latter; they sell better. 



E. S. 



The seed you used must have been 

 mixed. The true indivisa has green 

 leaves and no white or red veins down 

 the centers, as yours have. Probably 

 all will prove equally hardy, however, 

 and the narrow-leaved ones will come 

 in useful for vase or piazza-box plant- 

 ing. C. W. 



ROOTING SANTOLINA CUTTINGS. 



We have not been successful in root- 

 ing santolinas, which we use for carpet 

 bedding. Any hint would be appre- 

 ciated. J. M. 



Santolinas are of easy propagation. 

 Give them a warm cutting bench, such 

 as you would use for alternantlieras, 

 and practically every cutting should 

 root. Water freely, protect from sun 

 and air currents, and you should have 

 no trouble whatever in rooting this 

 plant. C. W. 



Middleport, N. Y.— It is said that the 

 new section of John H. Gould's green- 

 houses was partly wrecked by a heavy 

 fall of snow in the first part of January 

 and that the stock was ruined. 



